Most students knew Wednesday, Sept. 17 as a day when they would not have to arrive at school until 11:00 AM. However, the day also served as the first ever Berkeley Technology Conference. At this event, teachers spent three hours in the morning exploring new avenues of technology to use in the classrooms around Berkeley. Participants included faculty from all three divisions and covered all of the departments at Berkeley. Presentation topics ranged from tutorials on how to use LibGuides to new apps for the iPads and were led by 26 different faculty members. Some workshops with overwhelming attendance included the iTunes U course taught by Lower Division teachers Suzanne Maldonado and Tamarah Henderson and the Flipping the Classroom course taught by science department chair, Nicole Ackerson. In her course, Ackerson focused on the concept of having students learn the material outside of classroom so they can come into class with background knowledge of the subject, allowing students more time to work out problems and to have the opportunity to ask questions.

“I loved the technology in-service.  I present often at many venues about the innovative things we’re doing here at Berkeley; it was wonderful to have the chance to do so with our colleagues and friends.  There really are some exciting things going on the classrooms all over campus,” said Ackerson.

Ryan Jordan, the new Upper Division director, was also pleased with the outcome of the conference. When asked about the technology in-service, Jordan said, “The BTC (Berkeley technology conference) was a great success. A huge thank-you to Mr. St. Amand for organizing such a well-planned event, and to the entire faculty who taught and lead sessions for their peers. There was a wide range of topics for faculty to choose from, and I have heard many faculty continue to comment on the practical takeaways from that morning.”

Another faculty in-service day, similar to the BTC, occurred on Tuesday, Oct. 14. While students enjoyed the last day of the four day weekend, teachers were on-campus attending another educational seminar, this one focusing specifically on diversity. “The main topic for this particular in-service was the concept of race and ethnicity, with the understanding that we would continue the dialogue in that subject as well as other diversity subjects.” said UD religion teacher Christine Ortega, who helped to organize this particular in-service day.  Faculty members were asked to reflect on their classroom practices and communication with students, and then discussed the topics in smaller groups.

“My hope ultimately is that teachers understand, just like all people should understand, that these conversations are difficult, they’re uncomfortable, but they have value.” Ortega explained. “The important part is the idea that we’re all learners, all of the time, and that faculty have just  as much of a responsibility to be willing to learn new things about their trade [and] about their students in order to be more effective in class.”